deceased 1 of 3

deceased

2 of 3

verb

past tense of decease

deceased

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective deceased contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deceased are dead, defunct, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

Where would dead be a reasonable alternative to deceased?

While in some cases nearly identical to deceased, dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

When is defunct a more appropriate choice than deceased?

The meanings of defunct and deceased largely overlap; however, defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

When could departed be used to replace deceased?

The words departed and deceased can be used in similar contexts, but departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When is it sensible to use late instead of deceased?

Although the words late and deceased have much in common, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceased
Adjective
GEDMatch is one of the databases used by the DNA Doe project, a non-profit that works to name the deceased who remain unidentified. Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
Verb
An 8-year-old boy who was critically injured was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased, according to the department. Alex Stone, ABC News, 10 July 2025 He was pronounced deceased after being taken to a hospital. Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for deceased
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceased
Adjective
  • Within months, however, Carter’s financial backer Lord Carnarvon was dead from a mysterious illness.
    Justin Stebbing, JSTOR Daily, 24 July 2025
  • Exposure to dead animals or eating contaminated bushmeat are other risk factors, but these concerns are rare for the average tourist.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • An American Airlines employee has died following an accident on the tarmac in North Carolina.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
  • An American Airlines worker died after they were struck by a ramp vehicle on the tarmac at an airport on Monday morning.
    Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • For decedents dying in 2026 and beyond, up to $15 million (and $30 million for couples) is exempt from the federal estate tax, and this exemption will be indexed for inflation.
    Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 4 July 2025
  • Thus, in the case of a decedent, the estate is held liable for the debt.
    Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Cline never released a duet or other collaboration, and the new album features nine, including one with Cowboy Copas, who perished in the plane crash with Cline (along with fellow Opry star Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cline’s manager, Randy Hughes).
    Nancy Kruh, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
  • At least two former Major League Baseball players also perished in the disaster.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • As for the roach corpses, two were under a bun rack.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
  • Kendrick is charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
    Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • Trump has pointed to relatively low inflation and good employment numbers as reasons to cut sooner, saying the Fed has been too late to act and is holding back the American economy.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
  • As of March, Anthropic closed its latest funding round at a $61.5 billion post-money valuation.
    Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • If a tree is found to be infested, Ewing recommends felling it and disposing of the wood by cutting it into chips and composting it.
    Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2025
  • In September 2023, the world awoke to the news that someone had deliberately felled the Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • The area, which also includes the Mann Chinese Theater with its famous footprints of departed stars, also has the classic El Capitan theater, owned by Disney.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • But with Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac taking the majority of the shots instead of the departed Paul George and a rehabilitating Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers score 45.9 percent of their points in the paint (fifth in NBA).
    Law Murray, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceased. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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